Student review [#105421] for BSc in International Hospitality Management
at EHL Hospitality Business School - EHL

I first heard about EHL Hospitality Business School about 7 years ago, when I was 14, and it only took a panel talk for me to know it was the place I wanted to study. It was just as I started thinking about what I wanted to do after finishing high school that finding EHL felt like a huge relief. So, I did my research, attended webinars and events, and did two operational internships in my hometown to get a real taste of the hospitality industry. Fast forward to September 2024, when I started EHL. It was the first time I moved out to live alone abroad, feeling a bit overwhelmed, but as I arrived at EHL, my fears vanished. Little did I know back then that I was about to start the 4 best years of my life. The first year at EHL focuses on a better understanding of the operational side of hospitality, divided into 2 semesters. The first one consists of 24 weeks of workshops, including Catering, Bakery, Housekeeping, Front Desk, Service, and Kitchen work across all our bar & restaurant outlets, including our Michelin-starred restaurant “Berceau des Sens” (BDS), Enology, Mathematics, and more. My personal favorites were Events, R&D, and service at BDS. I actually loved the entire semester because, under the careful supervision of our amazing teachers, we got to experiment with what hospitality is all about, dispel misconceptions, and deepen our love for it. EHL provides you with both service and kitchen uniforms, so there is nothing to worry about upon your arrival. And yes, you might have to either wake up very early or finish very late, but it’s all worth it, actually, since you live on campus, in the same place as your colleagues who share the same experiences, it’s rather fun! Then, there is the operational six-month internship, which you can do wherever you want. And here is where EHL steps in again, through the Career Partners who will guide you along the way and help you draft your CVs and cover letters to make sure you stand out and help you find your perfect internhip, our online platform EHL Connects where you can find and apply to plenty of jobs, and most importantly the Career Fair, the major event where more than 120 companies are present on campus, so you get the chance to talk to their representatives, make a good first impression and perhaps secure an internhsip. That’s how I found mine!
Then, after your return from internship, that’s where the real university experience begins. EHL’s Bachelor program is divided into 6 semesters, totaling 3 years of study, with one semester dedicated to the second internship, the administrative one. The curriculum is divided perfectly between modules: Communication and culture, Foundations of Hospitality Management, and Business Tools, with classes such as: Business Communication, Academic Writing, Marketing, Human Behavior & Performance in the workplace, Room Division Management, Service Quality and Design, Financial Accounting, Statistics, Micro/Macroeconomics, a Language of your choice (French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.), and more!
And EHL has, in my opinion, the best learning model: the lectures with our amazing teachers, tutoring classes with Teaching Assistants to get over any uncertainties one may have, our online platform featuring all necessary learning materials, working on group projects to prepare its students for their final Student Business Project or thesis for graduation, and our library with all resources to expand your knowledge. Now, I could go on and on about our teachers and how amazing and passionate they are, managing to turn any subject into something so attractive for us students, making me want to know more and more. Nevertheless, here are some of my favorite teachers I’ve had so far, since I find it worth mentioning: Professor Giuliano Bianchi (Microeconomics), Professor Karen Earl Erpelding (Financial Accounting, Topics in Financial Accounting), Professor Jouni Kassem (Revenue Management), Professor Steven McMath (Legal Challenges), Professor Sebastien Fernandez (Human Behavior & Performance in the workplace), Professor Christopher Rudolph (Service Quality and Design), Professor Peter Varga (Corporate Sustainability), Professor Valentina Clergue (Foundations of Hospitality Marketing), Proefessor Fernanda Nussbaum (Spanish). And how could I forget about the teaching assistants who answered all of my questions, even if they had to repeat themselves a hundred times: Emma Bernardini, Adrian Fazilaj, and Muzeyyen Yemis. All these people, helped shaping my academic experience at EHL, and now I can certainly state that I will always remeber how to create and anayze a Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow Statement, how to calculate elasticity and explain perfect competition, how different forms or reinforcement work and why delayed gratification is better, how to explain the customer buying journey, how to tell if a contract is valid or not, and how to order at a restaurant in Spain 🙂 And, this is just a small part of what stuck with me.
Now, a bit about the Student Life at EHL. We have 28 student committees, at least one for every interest (Football, Basketball, Golf, Rugby, Music, Theatre, Arts, Photography, Mixology, Finance, Sustainability, etc.). And from my experience, I can tell you that by joining a committee, you not only immerse yourself even deeper into the EHL lifestyle but also gain practical and organizational skills and make a ton of new friends. Now, I can proudly say that I have friends from all over the world.
Even more, at EHL, there are tennis and padel courts, volleyball and basketball courts, a gym, and a swimming pool, all on campus, so you can easily do plenty of activities in your free time. I love playing tennis with my friends, and we try to do it as often as possible. As well, there are a multitude of projects and events happening on campus almost every day. My favorite type is the “Spend a day with” events, where companies such as LVMH, Cartier, or even KFC are present on campus to conduct panel talks and workshops for interested students. So, all in all, I can firmly affirm that EHL was and still is the place where I continually grow academically and socially, and it was definitely the best choice I have ever made. But obviously, you are in charge of how your experience at EHL is going to look, and as I like to say, EHL gives you all the opportunities, but it’s YOUR job to make the most of them!